The iPhone 7

Another phone review from Sean! We hope you enjoy!

Apple’s newest flagship, the iPhone 7, was released back in September 2016. Although the phone doesn’t seem very different from previous iPhones, the iPhone 7 is definitely the best iPhone Apple has ever created. However, with relatively few changes and the removal of the headphone jack, is this phone worth your money? This review will help you determine whether the iPhone 7 is the phone for you.

Design:

The iPhone 7 looks almost identical to the iPhone 6 and 6s. In fact, the dimensions of the iPhone 7 are identical to that of the 6s. Both phones are very thin—only 7.1 mm thick, and have an aluminum shell (with the exception of the jet black iPhone 7). Although it’s been used three years in a row now, the design is still great, and the phone looks absolutely gorgeous. The jetblack iPhone 7 is a new addition to the regular colors, and is currently the most popular iPhone for obvious reasons. The glassback of this version looks amazing, and essentially makes the whole exterior of the phone glass. The one drawback of this is that durability suffers. This will be discussed in the next section.

Durability:

The iPhone 7 is now IP67 rated water and dust resistant. This means that the phone is water resistant when placed in water up to 1 meter in depth and for up to 30 minutes. You will not have to worry about dropping your phone into water. Being water resistant is definitely something that I have found very useful. I have accidentally spilled water on this phone before, and if it hadn’t been waterproof, the phone would’ve likely been severely damaged. This is definitely something to consider when choosing whether to buy this phone or not. The aluminum back of all iPhones except the jet black version is strong and should withstand most drops. However, the jet black version is far more susceptible to scratches and drops, being that it is made of glass. For this reason, you should definitely buy a case if you want to get the jetblack iPhone 7. The jetblack version is also a big fingerprint magnet, and I found it very difficult to rub off fingerprints after touching the glass. Although the jetblack iPhone 7 is very cool looking, you should be extra cautious with it, as the impressive look comes with a price.

Mmm…jet black

Camera:

The iPhone 7 has a great camera. It has a 12 megapixel iSight camera with an ƒ/1.8 aperture. The large aperture means that low-light photography is improved. I love the camera of the iPhone 7, as it is very consistent at producing great pictures and videos. The 7 megapixel ƒ/2.2 aperture front-facing camera is great for selfies and video calling. Overall, the camera on the iPhone 7 will not disappoint you.

Same color as your nails

Performance:

When the iPhone 6s was released with Apple’s A9 chip, it was by far the fastest smartphone on the market. Even today, the 6s is still faster than every smartphone available except one: the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 is 40% faster than the 6s. The phone sports a quad-core A10 fusion with a clock speed of 2.2 GHz, and the chip is an absolute beast. The iPhone 7 absolutely demolishes any other phone in the market when it comes to speed, as well as multitasking. The 2 gigabytes of RAM of the iPhone 7 may look unimpressive, especially when phones such as the One Plus 3 feature triple the amount, however it is more than enough and the iPhone 7’s multitasking ability crushes any phone available. Performance on the iPhone 7 is absolutely amazing.

Apple’s first in-house quad-core SoC, the A10 Fusion

Screen, Battery Life, Speakers:

The iPhone 7 has a 1334 by 750 LCD display, with a pixel density of 326 ppi. While not bad, it definitely lags behind other flagship phones, some of which have pixel densities over 500 ppi. The lack of pixel density is not very noticeable, and with normal usage, it should not affect your experience greatly. 3D touch is also available on the iPhone 7, although it is still mostly a gimmick. The speakers of the iPhone 7 are also not incredibly impressive. While it is louder than previous iPhones, it is still downward facing. However, the speakers are now stereo, and should be fine for most people. The battery life is definitely a problem for the iPhone 7. Apple really needs to increase battery life on their smaller devices, even if it means sacrificing the thickness of the overall phone. You will most likely need a battery pack or a charging case to get through your day.

Home button/Fingerprint Scanner:

The new home button of the iPhone 7 isn’t a physical button anymore. Instead, it is a solid piece of glass that is pressure sensitive. I found no problems with the new home button; in fact the new “button” felt more responsive, and the taptic engine inside the phone made the home button feel very similar to a physical button. The fingerprint scanner is extremely quick and very accurate. The only problem I have had with it is that it cannot detect my fingerprint when my hands are wet. However, you should not be using your phone near water even if the phone is waterproof, just to be safe.

Headphone jack:

There is no headphone jack… Apple controversially removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 to make room for their new home button. Although Apple does provide a free adapter, I found carrying around the adapter quite a nuisance. It is also impossible to charge the iPhone 7 while using wired headphones, as headphones now use the lightning port to connect to the phone. However, if you don’t mind carrying an adapter with you, or don’t use headphones often, this should not be a major problem for you.

Sayonara, 3.5mm jack

Verdict:

The iPhone 7 is a great phone. However, for those who love to use headphones or listen to music, the iPhone 7’s lack of a headphone jack makes it more difficult for these users. In addition, if you are a heavy user of your phone, you will most likely need a battery pack of some sort. If you are not worried about these two negatives of the phone, then the iPhone 7 is perfect for you.